A bow-mountable camouflage device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,817 and includes a camouflage sheet extending between upper and lower vertically separated support members attached to a forward surface of an archer's bow. The support members are each provided with a central support section and an opposing pair of arms (called "end sections" in the parlance of the '817 patent). The arm pairs are pivotally coupled to respective central support sections so as to be pivotal between an extended position (in which the arms are generally transverse to the long axis of the bow), and a collapsed position (in which the arms are generally aligned with the long axis of the bow).
The pivot structures which enable the arms to pivot between their respective extended and collapsed positions are said to be conventional in that each is formed of a leaf spring, detent and pivot pin (see FIGS. 4 and 5 in U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,817 and the accompanying description thereof at column 3, line 52 bridging column 4, line 15). The leaf spring thus is adapted to be received within corresponding detents when the arms are axially aligned with one another (i.e., in their extended position).
It can be envisioned, however, that after repeated usage over time, the detent structures of the variety disclosed in the '817 patent may wear to an extent whereby the arms could possibly not be maintained in axial alignment with one another. As a result, the camouflage device may not be capable of being reliably retained in a condition whereby the camouflage sheet is fully exposed. That is, the worn detent structures could possibly not provide sufficient detention capabilities with the arms extended, thereby allowing the arms to fall under their own weight to their collapsed position.